Photography by Randi Gording and Knut Schjerverud

Nepal

Nepal the home of eight of the world's ten tallest mountains, including the highest point on Earth, Mount Everest. A landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia, with the motto; "Mother and Motherland are Greater than Heaven"

What have these eyes seen…?
After hiking in the Himalayas we return to a tiny village in Nepal, and there he was; on the bus. Looking at us. With these old, wise eyes. Not a smile, just looking; and his eyes made us think; who are we – that travel far and wide to hike, just for the joy of it. And who are you, old one, how have lived your years in this beautiful mountains that we seek?
And we remembered Antoine de Saint-Exupéry’s endearing words;
A man’s age is something impressive, it sums up his life: maturity reached slowly and against many obstacles, illnesses cured, grieves and despairs overcome, and unconscious risks taken; maturity formed through so many desires, hopes, regrets, forgotten things, loves. A man’s age represents a fine cargo of experiences and memories. [~Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, Wartime Writings 1939-1944, translated from French by Norah Purcell]